South Carolina Columbia Mission

Wednesday, July 12, 2017

Charity Never Faileth

Hello Family and Friends!

I want each of you to know that I just love you and I am so grateful for all of you! This week has been so much fun! I hope y'all had a great Fourth of July and did something super fun! In our mission for the Fourth of July we were put on lockdown at 6pm because apparently the people of SC are a little bit crazy about their fireworks!

For the Fourth of July our Ward didn't do anything so most of our ward decided to go to the Summerville 2nd Ward party in Moncks Corner at a lake. We had a member invite us to go with her so we called our Zone Leaders because to get permission to go outside of our area, they ended up telling us that if we could come up with a good reason to go we could go. So we decided that our reason was that they have no sister missionaries in the second Ward, so we went and had so much fun.... but the Elders in the second Ward didn't give us the memo of wearing real people clothes so we walked on the beach of a lake with our skirts on! But when we got to the party there was no food, so we hit up smash burger on the way home from the party. Because we only had an hour before we were supposed to be in our apartment we decided to go to Walmart and print off pictures where we met this lady who said that she has been looking for a church! She ended up helping us when printing off our photos and told us that she just got married and that we could see her at church on Sunday which was pretty cool, except for she didn't come to church on Sunday! But ya know. maybe next week!

This week has been full of people cancelling appointments and not finding anyone who is interested in the gospel. It was actually really funny because Sister Allred looked at me on Wednesday after like 6 hours of knocking on doors and she says "I think we have hit the record for most people to tell us they aren't interested before we even start talking!" I just laughed because I'm used to this area because I have been here for so long!

On my mission it has been a quest for me to personally know my savior which has made me think of Christlike attributes. I can honestly say that I have never been so close to the spirit as I study and try to implement these attributes in my life. There is no coincidence that as we become like the savior we are able to more readily and easily listen to the promptings of the spirit! And the greatest of all of these attributes is that of charity where we are able to see each other with spiritual eyes and to know that they are children of a very loving Heavenly Father. As I have been trying to develops these attributes I feel like I notice more the instances where I am not charitable and not patient more than when I am. But I realized just how far I have come. Just this weekend, on Saturday, Sister Allred received some hard news from her family. We had gone and done some service and went to a baptism but after that we decided to go home for some water and to finish up studies. Sister Allred went to the bathroom and I could tell that she was falling apart, so I felt prompted to write her a note telling her how much I loved her and that she could take all the time that she needed. She ended up telling me later that she had only given herself 3 minutes. and 2.5 minutes later is when I pushed the note underneath the door. We almost always never get to hear how much a promoting we receive changes another persons day. But I testify that if we heed those promptings, the first promptings, we will never go astray and we will be more receptive of the spirit! Now is the time to become a deciple of the lord Jesus Christ, now is the time to decide for yourselves whether or not you are going to be converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ or not. If you are going to be ready for the time when he comes again. I plead with all of you to think of the blessings that will come upon your homes, your families, and mostly your hearts as you center your lives on the gospel of Jesus Christ

"Remembering without ceasing your work of faith, and labour of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ, in the sight of God and our Father;" (1 Thessalonians 1:3)

I love you all and want you to know just how much you all mean to me, but more importantly, I want you all to know the love that our father in heaven has for you! Whenever you doubt that you must remember that for each and everyone of us our Father in Heaven sent his son to die so that we all could have the opportunity to rid the chains of sin and to live with him again!